


Untraveled

by NoirSongbird



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Love Confessions, M/M, Potential Betrayal, lancelotweek2017, morning after fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-20
Updated: 2017-11-20
Packaged: 2019-02-04 16:57:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12775398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoirSongbird/pseuds/NoirSongbird
Summary: Lotor has begun to grow comfortable in his place on the Castle of Lions, and particularly in his relationship with Lance. Then, three familiar faces arrive with a proposition, and Lotor is left with a choice.





	Untraveled

**Author's Note:**

> So, here's my first entry for Lancelot Week 2017! I'm probably going to be a little late posting things because of my work schedule (it's....aggressive) but I want to get something out for every day of the Week because hot damn I love this ship.

When Lotor stirred awake, it was to a surprising weight on his chest. At first, he thought he was in some sort of danger, until the night before came crashing back in stark relief. The warm weight on his chest was _Lance,_ the Blue Paladin, who he’d... _seduced_ wasn’t the right word, that implied a certain lack of regard for his partner. _Taken to bed_ would do. And who had clearly decided to stay the entire night and into the morning, though Lotor’s internal clock woke him fairly early in the Castle of Lions’ day cycle.

He opened his eyes and glanced down, and was greeted by the sight of Lance snuggled up against his side, half-draped on his chest and still completely asleep. A slow smile spread across Lotor’s face, and he let himself indulge the silly desire to run his fingers through Lance’s hair, mussed from sleep and from sex.

Lance stirred awake slowly, and Lotor enjoyed the lazy way he began to stir, the way someone woke up when they’d spent most of their life safe. It wasn’t something he begrudged the Paladins; if anything it made what they accomplished _more_ impressive.

Lance blinked up at him slowly, and a grin spread across the Paladin’s face as he sat up.

“Huh, so last night _did_ happen. Awesome,” he said. “I was starting to worry it was a really really good dream.”

“Have you been dreaming of me often, then?” Lotor asked, idly reaching up to draw his fingers up Lance’s spine. Lance’s cheeks darkened with a flush and he coughed, looking away.

“Maybe,” he admitted. Lotor grinned and reached up, cupping his chin and pulling him down for a long, slow kiss. Lance groaned against his lips, and Lotor was frankly fully prepared for another round, but fate had other ideas. The castle’s alarms blared, and he and Lance came apart quickly, Lance flinging himself out of the bed and Lotor following quickly.

“Shit,” Lance gasped, and Lotor made a noise of agreement.

“Paladins!” Coran’s voice echoed over the castle’s address system. “The castle has been invaded! We have intruders in the Castle!”

“What kind of utterly _terrible_ security,” Lotor growled as he dug out his armor. It was buried deeper than was wise, clearly, but he hadn’t exactly _needed_ it. The Paladins weren’t eager to have him on the front lines, for fairly understandable reasons.Once he was armored up and his sword was at his hip, he turned, to find Lance staring at him.

“You look, uh, good,” Lance said. “I’d kinda forgotten how nice that looks on you, I guess.” Lotor had to stifle a laugh.

“Get dressed,” he said, “and then go get into your armor, you’re clearly going to need it.” He gave him a long look up and down. “You look good as well,” he said, and then he waved Lance off. Lance darted out of Lotor’s room, and Lotor himself strode out after, a hand on his sword.

Whoever this was, they’d clearly made an incredibly foolish decision.

 

* * *

 

It quickly became apparent who the intruders were. He found himself fighting sentinels in the castle's halls as he made his way to the Paladins, and for a moment Lotor felt his heart stop. This was...the worst possible option, in among a large number of very, very bad options. The Galra Empire was launching a small but direct attack on the Castle of Lions.

It was a small cruiser, not a fleet ship, and that was their only saving grace, in his opinion. That they were contending with perhaps one commander who thought they had a brilliant idea, or were just that desperate with the sector beyond Nauxela cut off from the rest of the Empire.

Lotor was also alone. He'd sent Lance ahead to get his armor and bayard, and that had clearly been a mistake, because the sentinels seemed particularly determined to get him away from the Paladins. He fought and pushed, moving through the ship as quickly as he could to try to find someone, anyone, but robotic soldiers kept meeting him at every turn, and there was only so much dodging and running he could do.

He found himself surrounded in a narrow corridor near the cryobay, and he shifted into a fighting stance, fully prepared to fight his way out if he had to--and it was looking very, very much like he was going to have to. It wasn't a surprise that he was a primary target, given his position, but it certainly was alarming to be cornered by a dozen sentinels when he was completely alone. They were just robots, and he was sure he could outfight them one to one, but there were so many of them, and he was...flagging. All the running had taken its toll, more than he wanted to admit.

Still, he moved into a fighting stance and went on the attack, dodging shots and ducking around melee swings. The bots began to go down, one by one, and he let himself have a moment to hope he might actually make it out.

He should not have let himself have that moment.

He engaged one, dodging away from its shot and moving in for the killing blow, but as soon as his blade sank into its robotic shell, he felt something press against his back and then a shock of electricity.

He fought the oncoming wave of unconsciousness as hard as he could, but there was no stopping it. He could feel it cresting, and pulling him under, and Lotor's fingers slipped off his sword hilt as the sentinel it was buried in fell to the ground.

He followed it shortly after.

 

* * *

 

When he woke, he was in a Galra interrogation room.

The only guards he could see at first were two sentinels by the door, and to his surprise, he wasn’t bound. His first instinct was to push to his feet and prepare to fight his way out because he refused to die or be tortured, and he knew he could fight _two sentinels,_ even unarmed. He pushed himself out of his seat, and started to move into a combat stance, but there was a light, familiar tut from behind him and he froze.

“You don’t want to do that, your highness,” Acxa said. “We just want to talk to you.”

“Yeah!” Ezor added. “Man, is it good to see you. We were really worried for a while there, y’know, thought you might be, like...dead, or being tortured, or something _awful_ like that.”

“Pretty glad you’re alive,” Zethrid agreed.

He turned around, and yes, there they were, all three of them. His Generals, his... _family._

When he was at his weakest, in exile, they had been everything he had, other rejects and castoffs from the Empire with whom he shared a bond of loyalty. The problem, of course, was that bond had been broken, fairly surely.

“That’s surprising,” Lotor said, and he tried to keep the sharp edge of betrayal out of his voice, “as you three were more than ready to turn me in before.

“Yeah, well,” Zethrid said, and her ears drooped a little, “would’ve actually felt pretty shitty if we’d just left you to die without letting you explain your side of things with Narti.”

Lotor huffed and dropped into the chair he’d woken up sitting in, regarding them with cold disinterest.

“Ah, so you want to talk now?” He said. “Where was this willingness before? You must know I had my reasons.”

“I...yes,” Acxa said. “We should have realized. What we did was shortsighted and foolish, your highness. Haggar...told us the truth of what happened with Narti, when we turned ourselves over.”

“To mock us, I think,” Zethrid said, and she sounded angry about the whole thing.

“But!” Ezor cut in, “we know now! You didn’t just kill her ‘cause you were pissed things were going wrong, and you kinda saved our lives by doing it, and—well. We owe you. So. That’s why we came to scoop you off the castleship.”

“This was all about recovering _me?”_ Lotor asked. He had suspected, when he realized the sentinels were trying to corner him, but it was strange to have it confirmed.

“It was,” Acxa confirmed, “because we wish to make you an offer. Come back with us. To the Empire. Haggar has offered us all our positions back, if we can bring you home.”

Lotor had picked up quite a lot of human metaphors in his time on the castleship. There was a particular one that didn’t quite translate to Galra culture— _a fork in the road,_ they said, to mean _a choice where selecting one option makes the other impossible._ One didn’t have _roads,_ generally, on a ship, and many Galra lived their entire lives shipboard unless they were conquering a planet. There were equivalents, of course, the concept wasn’t exactly unique, but Lotor had to admit he liked the mental image the human version provided.

He’d found himself at several of those forks in his long life. More, perhaps, since becoming a fugitive from the Empire.

_Fight the Empire or flee. Kill Narti or die. Join Voltron or let them perish._

He found himself, now, at another.

To his left, Voltron. To his right, his old life.

“That could be your way back in, you know,” Ezor said, “ that you spent time with Voltron. I bet they’ve trusted you with lots of stuff because they’re big dumb heroes, and if you share that everyone’ll know you’re on our side!”

 _Trusted you with a lot._ Lotor’s first thought wasn’t of Voltron’s plans or the team’s personal weaknesses, it was of Lance’s light flush after the first time Lotor kissed him, of how he’d looked surprised that someone might actually respond to his flirting and take it as a genuine invitation.The intimate trust of knowing what he looked like so utterly vulnerable.

“It would be...good to fight at your side again,” Acxa added.

It _would_ be. He missed the easy rhythm he’d had with his Generals, how he barely had to give orders because all they needed was the goal and perhaps some parameters and it would be _done._ Butt here was also sparring with Lance, defeating him nearly every time until finally Lance managed to pin him, and how utterly delighted he’d looked.

“You’re family,” Zethrid said, and she said it with genuine,w arm emotion, and Lotor almost believed her.

His mind wandered, though, to the Paladins, laughing and joking around a table, and Lance grabbing him by the arm and pulling him over to sit with them when he hovered, uncertain if he was welcome, for too long. How they’d folded him into their discussion with ease, and made him feel less like an enemy and more like a welcomed, wanted friend.

“Perhaps,” Lotor said, because he was gearing up to desperately stall, “we could...discuss options for my return to the Empire.” He shifted in his seat, into a more relaxed, confident position. “You said Haggar spoke to you?”

That was when the door slammed open, as much as a sliding door could, and there, on the other side, looking absolutely devastated, was _Lance._

His eyes were wide, and his grip on his bayard was loose, and there was no denying that he’d heard exactly what Lotor said and had interpreted it in the _worst_ possible way. No doubt seeing Lotor unrestrained and leaning in with interest had added to his impression that Lotor truly was working to betray them.

“Lotor?” He asked, and there was a tremulous edge of betrayal in his voice, and that hurt far more than Lotor had expected it to. It _shouldn’t_ bother him, just because he’d bedded Lance once. Stupid, ridiculous attachments. “What’s going on— _shit!”_ Acxa had snapped her fingers, and one of the sentries sprang to life, arms wrapping around Lance and holding him still. “Lotor, what the hell?” He struggled, but the sentry was taller and stronger and utterly implacable, by nature of being robotic.

“We’re taking our Prince back,” Ezor said, leaning into Lotor’s space and practically draping herself on his shoulders. “Sorry, you can’t have him!”

“You know,” Zethrid said, “here’s your chance to really prove you wanna come back. Just kill the Paladin and prove your loyalty to the Empire, and that’s it, you’re back in.” Ezor nodded eagerly.

“So easy! We’ll _all_ get commendations for it,” she said brightly.

Acxa silently extended her hand, offering her gun.

Lotor took it, and sat back, giving Lance a long, considering look.

“Lotor, c’mon,” Lance said, a little desperately. “You don’t actually _want_ to do this, do you? You're not like that, you're not just...some villainous asshole.” He didn’t sound confident in that assessment at all. Lotor would have been stung, but he supposed it meant his performance was working.

He stood up and cast a brief glance around the room. Ezor and Zethrid were both watching with eager anticipation, but Acxa was more guarded, and even then he could see the spark of hope in her eyes.

He turned to Lance, again, and watched his eyes widen, watched betrayal and horror write itself across his face, and he raised up the gun.

A binary choice.

Shoot, or don’t.

Hero, or villain.

“I _am_ sorry,” he said, “but this is where we part ways.”

He took one shot, and then quickly flipped the gun into _stun_ and took three more. The sentinel dropped with a hole in its head, and his former generals hit the ground, knocked unconscious by the same stunner Acxa had used on him. It seemed almost poetic.

Lance looked stunned, like he couldn’t quite believe what was going on, and Lotor strode forward and grabbed his arm, tugging him along and towards the door.

“ _Move,_ before someone else realizes what just happened and raises an alarm.” He hung onto Acxa’s gun, because it was the best option he had to defend himself, since his sword was probably back in the castleship in the chest of the sentinel he’d killed with it.

“What the hell was that?” Lance asked, but he moved to keep pace with Lotor, so that was good enough. “You were acting like you were really gonna— _were_ you really gonna—?”

“No,” Lotor said, and he let a little of his affront leak into his tone. “I don’t know if you’re aware, but I _am_ actually quite fond of you, and I try not to go around murdering the people I’m fond of, there are so few of them.”

“Oh,” Lance said, and he sounded almost...surprised. “I, uh, didn’t know you cared.”

“Also,” Lotor said, dryly, “in practical terms, those three _have_ betrayed me before. They might well have been setting me up, and if I trusted them and killed you, and it turned out they did just intend to hand me to Haggar for their own advancement…” He shrugged his shoulders. “I’d have been totally cut off and alone. Better to throw my lot in with the people who _haven’t_ put a knife in my back yet.”

Lance was uncharacteristically silent as they moved through the ship. Lotor knew the layout of a Galra cruiser practically by heart, so it was almost breathlessly easy for him to make his way through one.

He heard footsteps coming down a hallway, and he yanked Lance close, and Lance yelped, as Lotor positioned himself between Lance and the oncoming sentires, taking them out with a few well-placed shots. When he glanced back over, Lance was flushed, and the way he looked up at Lotor made it obvious that it was not combat or exertion that had him looking that way.

Lotor swallowed and let go of him.

“Where did you come in?” He asked.

“This way,” Lance said, and there was a strange look on his face as he turned and began leading the way.

“ _How_ did you come in? Something more subtle than a hull breach, I hope.” Lotor said. Then again, he knew the Paladins. Subtlety wasn’t always their strong suit.

“Nah,” Lance said. “Well, I mean, kinda, but like, not the really _big_ kind, the _break-a-panel_ kind.” Lotor nodded along. Much better; it would be hard for the sentinels to find where the breach was if it was small and easily put back together.

“Do you have backup?” He asked.

“The others are running distraction combat. I volunteered to, uh, come in and rescue you, alone.” Lance said. He stopped and turned to look at Lotor for a long moment, some unreadable emotion in his eyes. “I...needed to make sure you were okay. See it for myself.”

“Lance,” Lotor started, and Lance waved him off.

“You are, that’s what matters.” He said, and then he turned back around and continued leading Lotor to their exit point.

It wasn’t exactly a clean getaway; they had a few more skirmishes with sentinels before they made it to where Lance had left Blue, and they climbed out of the Galra ship and practically directly into her cockpit. Lance hovered by the seat for a long moment, staring at Lotor with that same unreadable expression, and then he pulled off his helmet and let it fall to the ground. He strode over and rested his hands on the sides of Lotor’s face, pulling him down and into a kiss. Lotor made a tiny, surprised noise, but he leaned into it, sighing against Lance’s lips.

“I really am glad you’re okay,” Lance said, when they broke apart. “When we realized we couldn’t find you, and then we found your sword in that sentinel but no you...I was scared,” he admitted. “I’m...pretty fond of you, too, and I thought...I thought I was going to find you being tortured, or something, or that they were just...going to kill you, and…”

“I’m alright,” Lotor said. “You aren’t wrong. If it had been anyone else, I likely would be interrogated or on my way to Haggar and Zarkon.” He forced himself not to shudder at the thought. “But I wasn’t, and you got me out.” He leaned down to kiss Lance again, and Lance kissed back eagerly, with all the enthusiasm Lotor had come to expect from him.

“Yeah,” Lance agreed. “You’re alright. I’m alright. Okay.” He slid away and picked up his helmet, putting it back on, and then dropped into the pilot’s seat. “Let’s kick some butt and get you back to the Castle!”

Watching Lance, Lotor knew he had made the right choice.

**Author's Note:**

> Come talk to me on tumblr at [noirsongbird!](http://noirsongbird.tumblr.com)


End file.
